October 28, 2024
Provided image/Todd Rosenberg Photography
Select members of the Philadelphia Orchestra performed in Beijing in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of the ensemble's first tour of China.
When the Philadelphia Orchestra returns to China this week for an 11-day tour, it will set a record — and not the musical kind.
The ensemble is embarking on its first tour of the country since 2019 and 13th overall, the most by any American orchestra. The concerts kick off with a Thursday evening performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
Later stops on the tour include the cities of Chengdu and Haikou, which the orchestra has never visited. Its concerts in Haikou will mark the first time an American orchestra has traveled to the Hainan province, a collection of islands in the South China Sea. The orchestra will also visit Tianjin, one of Philadelphia's sister cities.
Principal guest conductor Marin Alsop will lead the tour.
Musical selections include works from Wolfgang Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The orchestra will also debut a new commission from Grammy-winning composer Mason Bates, inspired by the classic Chinese poem "Spring River Flowers by Moonlight." That piece will have its world premiere Saturday in Beijing.
The Philadelphia Orchestra's history with China dates back to its inaugural tour in 1973. The visit was the first by any American orchestra, following then President Nixon's pivotal tour of the nation the year prior. The United States and China formally resumed diplomatic relations in 1979.
Although the entire Philadelphia Orchestra has not traveled to China in five years, a small 14-member delegation performed in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai in 2023. The visit was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the original 1973 tour. President Joe Biden wrote a letter ahead of the occasion, thanking the orchestra for serving "as a bridge between our nations, strengthening the bonds that bring our people together."
Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
